1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of sporting goods and specifically to the field of training bats for use in teaching baseball and softball batters to hit a ball with the preferred portion of a bat. The present invention also discloses a method for constructing an improved training bat.
2. Description of Prior Art
The use of training bats is well known in the art. Many different attempts have been made to train batters to strike a ball with the preferred portion of a bat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,465, to Alfano, et al. (Apr. 4, 2000), discloses a baseball training bat with colored transferable bands. The bands are placed over the preferred hitting region of the bat. When a ball is struck on the preferred hitting region of the bat colored pigment transfers to the ball. While this configuration gives an accurate sense of where on the bat the ball made contact, it is inefficient in that visual inspection of the ball must be made after it is retrieved, introducing a delay between the moment of contact and the discovery of whether the contact was proper. This lessens the effectiveness of the training. This configuration also requires constant cleaning of the ball to remove prior pigment. Because this configuration places the training material over the preferred hitting portion of the bat, it also creates an unnatural feel when a ball is contacted properly, which may serve to undermine the training goal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,114, to Haringa (Jul. 25, 2000), discloses a batting practice attachment for baseball bats. The attachment is a sleeve which is placed over the end of a bat so that the preferred hitting region is covered. While this configuration creates a different sound between contacting a ball with the preferred region compared to contacting a ball with a non-preferred region, this configuration also places the training material over the preferred hitting portion of the bat, creating an unnatural feel when a ball is contacted properly, with the same detrimental effect on the training goal as described above. Moreover, the forward portion of the sleeve creates a raised edge on the surface of the bat. A ball striking the bat at the forward portion of the sleeve may be deflected towards the batter, an undesirable and dangerous result.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,945, to Kuchar (Nov. 9, 1971), discloses a baseball training bat in which the areas above and below the preferred hitting area are formed with a cushioning material. This configuration results in a different sound being emitted from contacting a ball with the preferred area than contacting a ball with a non-preferred area. However, because the non-preferred area is covered by a cushioning material, it will compress when struck by a ball. Should the ball contact the bat at the junction of the preferred and non-preferred hitting areas, the compression of the cushioning material at this junction will expose a sharp angle at the edge of the non-compressed preferred hitting area, thereby creating a significant danger of deflecting the ball towards the batter. Moreover, the cushioning material adds no rigidity to the bat, so that the weakness introduced to the bat, in the form of angled inside corners within the annular depressions used to prepare the bat to accept the cushioning material, remains and the bat is more susceptible to breakage than a standard bat.
There is therefore a need for an improved training bat which provides immediate feedback to the batter while minimizing the danger of deflections of struck balls or accelerated breakage of the bat.
It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide an improved training bat which emits a different sound when struck by a ball on the preferred hitting region compared with being struck by a ball on a non-preferred region.
It is a further objective of this invention to provide an improved training bat which does not interpose any material between the ball and the preferred hitting region.
It is yet a further objective of this invention to provide an improved training bat which has a substantially smooth surface and does not introduce projections, ridges, bumps, angles, or other irregularities into its surface, thereby minimizing the danger of deflections of struck balls.
It is yet a further objective of this invention to provide an improved training bat that is not weakened by introduction of the training means.
It is yet a further objective of this invention to provide an improved training bat that emulates the weight-to-length ratio of aluminum bats.
It is yet a further objective of this invention to provide a method of constructing an improved training bat.
Other objectives of this invention will be evident from the following disclosure.